Doyle, Casey Named Women's Volleyball Captains for 2013

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Rising senior Natalie Doyle and rising junior Kristen Casey have been voted as co-captains by their teammates for the 2013 season.

Doyle, a defensive specialist from San Francisco, Calif., has played in 63 matches in her career and has averaged 2.39 dps and 2.76 aps. This past season she set a season-high with 18 digs against Penn Sept. 29 followed by a career-high five aces against Brown Oct. 5. She appeared in 23 matches as a sophomore, registering 366 assists and notching 2.82 dps. As a freshman, Doyle played in 17 matches and ranked second on the team in assists.

"Natalie has always demonstrated discipline and commitment to our program," head coach Jen Weiss commented. "On the court, her positive energy and aggressive backcourt play makes our whole offensive and defensive system stronger. She leads by example and gives us all of her effort in practices, lifts and competition. I know she will be a great role model for her teammates. "

Casey, who played outside hitter as a freshman but made the transition to libero as a sophomore, has played in 49 matches and averaged 3.80 dps in 2012 and 2.71 kps in 2011. Casey ranked eighth in the Ivy League in digs (3.80) in 2012 after ranking second amongst the Crimson with 2.71 kps as a freshman. The La Jolla, Calif., native set a career-high with 23 digs at Columbia Oct.13 and was named to the New England Challenge All-Tournament team after averaging 3.89 dps in three matches.

"Kristen has demonstrated commitment to our team and has great court awareness and a high volleyball IQ," Weiss said. "This past season she played a new position and embraced her new role. She did everything she could to learn and better herself as the libero for the sake of the team. I could not be more proud of her for accepting and excelling in her new position.

Harvard will return 10 letterwinners in 2013 after posting a 7-7 record in Ivy League play.